Cora Tappan’s Address – Part 5

Beyond the Earth is the planet Mars, developing higher attributes of spiritual power, and inhabited by souls that have passed through all possible advantages of development upon Earth or some other planet, and possessing a spiritual aura that is next in degree in advance of the Earth, namely an inclination to spirituality or religion, instead of an external materialism or science. The planetary system, as you will remember, has a break here, and we come to the Asteroids. It was a favourite theory among the ancients, and was perhaps, even entertained by Copernicus himself, that the Asteroids, occupying precisely the proper place of a planet, were at one time a planet which, by internal fires or some kind of revolution, volcanic or otherwise, was rent or divided, and that they constitute the various fragments of the ancient world and that this may possibly account for the world which was supposed to be lost by the ancient astrologers, and which, under the name of Lucifer, has been handed down as a favourite means of accounting for his satanic majesty. However much truth there may be in this, the Asteroids occupy a middle position, presenting a sphere of spiritual art in its varied light of music, poetry, sculpture, painting and literature. They are occupied by souls or spirits who, graduating in these various degrees of art, find their spirituality in highest expressions of outward harmony.

Belonging in the spiritual atmosphere attending these planets or small stars is the sphere, or one portion of the sphere of harmony, which typifies the link between the pure materialism and intellect of the planets that lie nearer the sun and the pure wisdom and spirituality of the planets that lie beyond the Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Herschell, all the way in direct line to the outermost planet (which has not yet been discovered) present a gradual and inclined plane of wisdom – upon the planet Jupiter, of justice; upon the planet Saturn, of hope and love; and in the outermost of wisdom and absolute truth, and the spiritual states surrounding these planets presents a gradual sliding scale of development, of which the highest height that man on earth has dreamt is the feeble expression, and of which the lowest depth of man on Earth, or any planet, presents a glimmering hope and prophecy. And we assure you that between the Earth and each of these worlds there is not a point of space un-peopled by souls or spirits intent upon the perfection and development of their own beings through t he perfection and development of others, and that the lesson which is given to man in his lowest earthly or planetary state is the lesson of vanquishing that substance over which he, after a time, shall become ruler.

It is stated by science that nature is governed by law. We state that atoms, worlds, systems, and systems of suns, are governed by mind; not only the Infinite mind, but the Infinite mind working through individual conscious beings. We will prove it. Garibaldi proposes to change the course of the Tiber. The Egyptians changed the course of a river. You have altered the meteorological conditions of the atmosphere above you many degrees by manufactures and commerce. The plains and prairies of the West have been made fruitful by the screamings of the steam engine that brings rain in unfrequented quarters. Egypt rescued from her ancient state of desolation; the deserts in Arabia made to blossom as the rose, are the prophecies of men on earth. If you could estimate the actual change made by man in the atmospheric conditions of the Earth itself, you would find that the proportion is as 99 to 100, and that within the epoch known as history by man. If a race of human beings without knowledge can cause this much change in the temperature, atmospheric conditions, magnetic and electric currents, and if by the adaptation of elements like steam, electricity and other undiscovered motor powers, you shall alter the entire purpose of the atmosphere, to the end of bringing to the deserts rain, and taking away from the morasses the superfluous moisture, what may be done by intelligent minds with knowledge?

Two particularly fascinating points are made in this excerpt: First the prediction that the planet Pluto will be discovered, which it was, and second, the reference to changes in the global atmosphere caused by industrial development. (Global warming?)